Defence personnel due home from Aceh

Australia's Defence personnel are continuing to leave the Indonesian province of Aceh as the region recovers from the Boxing Day tsunami.

The Commander of the Australian Defence Force's (ADF) operation in Aceh, Brigadier David Chalmers and 110 Defence personnel are arriving in Sydney tonight from Indonesia.

Most of Australia's Defence personnel have now left the devastated region.

Other members of the ADF on board HMAS Kanimbla are expected to return to Australia from Aceh in a couple of weeks.

Defence Minister Robert Hill says Australia will continue to help Indonesia through an aid package that includes a pledge to rebuild a hospital in Aceh.

"The task of rehabilitation and reconstruction is going to take years, but they are a very resilient people, they are looking to the future and living with the tragedy that they have behind them," he said.

Mr Hill also paid tribute to the work ADF personnel carried out in difficult circumstances.

"They did a fantastic job. They were one of the first defence forces to arrive on the scene, really within about a day of the event, taking in humanitarian aid, taking out injured people and from there we've carried out so many different functions," he said.